Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Office is committed to assisting students who might otherwise be unable to continue their education because of financial disadvantage.

the financial aid office is now open in our new location

The Financial Aid Office is in our new temporary location on the 1st floor of the B building at the front of the campus. Financial Aid is in room B-103 and the main entrance is in the main lobby of the B building.

important news/updates for 2017-2018

FAFSA for 2017-2018As of October 1, 2016, you can now complete and submit your 2017-2018 FAFSA application. The FAFSA application is available three months earlier than in prior years. In addition, the 2017-2018 FAFSA will be asking for your and/or your parents 2015 taxable and untaxable income. In most cases, this should be the same income information you reported on your 2016-2017 FAFSA.

It is highly recommended that you do the IRS Data Retrieval when completing your 2017-2018 FAFSA. If there are discrepancies between the 2015 data submitted for 2017-2018 and the data that was submitted for 2016-2017, the Financial Aid Office will be required to determine the correct information and make any adjustments, corrections or updates for either year. This may lead to potential overpayments.

Please keep in mind, even though you can submit your 2017-2018 FAFSA earlier, we are still limited by our computer system as to when we can begin following up and processing your FAFSA. Please see the section below for additional information.

New System for Student Services and Financial Aid
Beginning in March 2017, all of the Student Services and Financial Aid will be moving to the PeopleSoft computer system. This means there will be a new way of viewing your information on a student portal, a new way of corresponding to you, a new way of processing and disbursing your financial aid. For students who apply for the FAFSA beginning in October 2016, we will send you an initial notification when we receive your FAFSA and we will send you a more detailed notification starting in March 2017. Stay tuned for more information.

important internet browser information

To access any U.S. Department of Education websites such as studentaid.ed.gov, you must use Internet Explorer 11, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Older versions of Internet Explorer do not work with their websites.

Information for students of Closed schools

Students of closed schools, click this link, Closed Schools for information and assistance.

important news/updates for 2016-2017

Federal Work Study Special Recruitment for Off-campus Hiring

We are recruiting students to work off-campus in a Community Service program at the Sherman Academy in Sherman Heights. Students will work with elementary school children and will help in various capacities at the school.

You must meet all eligibility requirements including but not limited to: completing the 2016-2017 FAFSA, making Satisfactory Academic Progress, having financial need and successful passing of the LiveScan (fingerprinting) process.

If you are interested, please contact Lorie Mendoza at lmendoza@sdccd.edu.

Federal Work Study Sign Up
We have currently stopped accepting new students for Work Study consideration. We will re-evaluate our funding status for the Spring 2017 semester.

First priority will go to students who:

are enrolled in at least 6 units for the Fall 2016 semester

have unmet need of at least $4,000

have Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in Good Standing and does not or did not have to submit a financial aid appeal

Please be sure to bring your Social Security card and your CA Drivers License or ID. If the Work Study coordinator is available when you submit your name, we will check to see if you meet the eligibility requirements and provide you with the initial paperwork.

2016-2017 FAFSA
You can now apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2016-2017 school year (Fall 2016, Spring 2017 and Summer 2017). The application can be completed at this link, FAFSA. For more information, go to our Financial Aid application webpage, Application. We are currently contacting students for additional documents and information. The earlier you submit and complete your financial aid file, the earlier we can review and determine your eligibility.

Osher Scholarships
Applications for the Osher Scholarship are no longer being accepted for the 2016-2017 school year. For more information and to apply, go to our Osher Scholarship webpage by clicking this link, Osher. The deadline to submit an application has passed.

Financial Aid Priority Deadline (July 1, 2016)If you are in Good Standing and you submit all of your required 2016-2017 documents and you completed your financial aid file by July 1, 2016, you will receive priority in reviewing your file and determining your award eligibility. If you complete your financial aid file after July 1, 2016, your file will still be reviewed and your award eligibility determined but there is no guaranty that it will be completed before the start of the Fall 2016 semester.

If you must file an appeal for Fall 2016, your eligibility will be determined only after your appeal is approved. However, there is no guaranty that it will be reviewed before the start of the Fall 2016 semester.

FAFSA/Dream Act Application Assistance

If you need assistance in completing the FAFSA or Dream Act Application, you can stop by the Peer Mentor Lab.

Peer Mentor Lab (L-113)
The Peer Mentor Lab (L-113) will be open on Mondays-Thursdays from 8:00am-7:00pm and Fridays 8:00am-3:00pm to assist students with the online FAFSA and Dream Act Application process.
BOG Fee Waiver for Fall 2016
The deadline to submit a paper BOG Fee Waiver application for the Spring 2016 semester is September 2, 2016. After this date, you will need to complete the FAFSA application to apply for a BOG Fee Waiver and to see if you are eligible for other grant aid. Reminder: You will need to pay the Health Fee from your own funds.

Deadline to Submit Financial Aid Appeals for Fall 2016If you are Disqualified for Fall 2016, you must submit your financial aid appeal for the Fall 2016 semester November 18, 2016. Exceptions will be made for students submitting late FAFSA applications.

If you have a comprehensive Educational Plan completed by a counselor, you do not need to submit one with your appeal.

If you do not have a comprehensive Educational Plan, you will need to go to one of the new Financial Aid Appeal/Ed Plan workshops to view a video and meet with a counselor to have an abbreviated Educational Plan completed which will need to be submitted with your appeal.

Workshop dates and times are pending. Contact the Counseling Office for more information. You must attend and view the video in person at the workshop. You cannot fulfill the requirement by watching the video online. Appeal forms can be downloaded and printed from our website. Click the Forms/Documents link on the right side of this page.

New Full-Time Student Success Grant (FTSSG)
Students who meet the following criteria will be eligible for the new FTSSG award for Fall 2106 and/or Spring 2017.

Must be enrolled full-time (12 or more units) each semester

Must have been awarded a Cal Grant B or Cal Grant C and paid at full-time status

Must meet all other Federal/State financial aid requirements

Eligible students will be awarded $300 for each semester of eligibility. The Fall 2016 FTSSG payments will be made after the main Cal Grant payment for Fall 2016. The.Spring 2017 payments will be made after the main Cal Grant payment for Spring 2017.

Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID replaces FSA PIN

You must create a new FSA ID (Username and Password) to access the Federal Student Aid websites. Click this link, FSA ID, for more information and instructions on how to create your FSA ID.Important: Only you, the student, should create your FSA ID. No one else should have access or know your FSA ID information.

FAFSA or CA Dream Act required for BOG Fee WaiversNew for this school year, to receive a BOG Fee Waiver, you must complete and submit either a FAFSA application or a CA Dream Act application.

Exception: If you are eligible for a BOG A Fee Waiver, you can still submit a paper BOG Fee Waiver application along with the qualifying documentation to verify your status. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for other exceptions.

2015-2016 FAFSA and CA Dream Act Application Processing
We have started processing FAFSA and CA Dream Act applications as of mid-May 2015. Email notices have been sent to students requesting any additional documentation needed to complete their file. Priority review of applications will be done for students who complete their file by July 1, 2015. Students who complete their file after July 1, 2015 or who have to submit a financial aid appeal will be processed as time allows and may not be processed in time to be awarded for the start of the Fall 2015 semester.

You can apply for the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov for the Fall 2015/Spring 2016 school year. You and/or your parents should complete your 2014 federal tax returns before completing the FAFSA. The priority deadline to apply was April 1, 2015 but you may still submit your FAFSA after that date.

Students who qualify as AB540 students can now complete the CA Dream Act application for the 2015-2016 school year to be considered for state aid such as Cal Grant and the BOG Fee Waiver. Students can apply at http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp.

The final deadline to apply is June 30, 2016 or your last day of attendance whichever comes first. Remember, you must complete a new FAFSA and/or CA Dream Act Application every school year.

New Consumer Information WebpageWe have a new Consumer Information webpage that provides all of the required disclosures for students as required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). Click on this link, Consumer Info to go the webpage.

New Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention (DAAPP) Information
We have a new DAAPP document, click this link DAAPP to view.

Online Acceptance of Terms of AgreementReminder to all students: Please read and accept the updated Terms of Agreement for the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). Acceptance only needs to be done once for either San Diego City College, Mesa College or Miramar College. To accept the Terms of Agreement, click this link, Terms of Agreement, go to View your Financial Aid for the 2015-2016 school year, select "City College" and select "Click here to accept the Financial Aid Terms of Agreement". You cannot submit a paper acceptance.

If you do not accept the Terms of Agreement, you will still be packaged for financial aid but your financial aid disbursements will be delayed until completed.

Financial Aid Priority Deadline (July 1, 2015)If you are in Good Standing and you submit all of your required documents and completed your financial aid file by July 1, 2015, you will receive priority in reviewing your file and determining your award eligibility. If you complete your financial aid file after July 1, 2015, your file will still be reviewed and your award eligibility determined but there is no guaranty that it will be completed before the start of the Fall 2015 semester.

If you must file an appeal, your eligibility will be determined only after your appeal is approved. However, there is no guaranty that it will be reviewed before the start of the Fall 2015 semester.

Interest Rates for Direct Loans(July 1, 2015)The Interest rate for Direct Loans will decrease from 4.66% to 4.29% on July 1, 2015 for loans disbursed from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.

Origination fees for Direct Loans (effective October 1, 2015)
The origination fees for Direct Loans will decrease to 1.068% for loans with first disbursements on or after October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016.

Loans disbursed before October 1, 2015 will have an origination fee of 1.073%.

Subsidized Direct Loan Lifetime Eligibility (Effective July 1, 2013 for New Borrowers only)
As part of the agreement to keep interest rates at 3.4% for 2012-2013, Congress approved a new lifetime limit on receiving Subsidized Direct Loans. This new limit applies to first time borrowers only. A first time borrower is defined as a student with a zero ($0) loan balance as of July 1, 2013 or later.

For first time borrowers with loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2013, these students will be limited to 150% of Subsidized loan eligibility based on the length of their program. For example, a student is enrolled in a 2 year program at San Diego City College. The student will only have 3 years of Subsidized loan eligibility and after the third year the student will no longer be eligible for a Subsidized loan at our school.

If a student previously borrowed a Subsidized loan from any college and paid his loan balance down to $0 and borrows a new loan after July 1, 2013, he would be considered a first time borrower again and would be subject to the 150% Subsidized loan limit.

Students Enrolled in Online Classes and Residing Out of StateStudents with a legal or mailing address that is located outside of California and that are enrolled in online (web) classes only, will not be allowed to enroll and will be dropped and as a result will not eligible for federal financial aid. Students that reside in the following U.S. States or Territories are not allowed to enroll:

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas

Maryland

Minnesota

Missouri

North Dakota

South Carolina

Utah

Washington D.C.

Wyoming

American Samoa

Guam

Marshall Islands

Micronesia

N. Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

Students Enrolled in Online Classes Must Verify Their Identity Prior to DisbursementStudents enrolled in substantially all online classes will be required to provide proof of identity in person at the Financial Aid Office in order to clear their first Grant or Loan disbursement. Students that reside outside of San Diego County may provide proof of identity with an original notarized form and signatures which must be delivered to the Financial Aid Office. Failure to provide proof of identity will result in a hold on all financial aid disbursements.

Financial aid scams

Cal Grant Scam: There have been reports to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) that students are being contacted by individuals claiming to be from CSAC and asking for money in order to receive or reserve their Cal Grant award.

This is a scam. CSAC will never ask for money or credit card information. Do not provide any information if contacted.

If you have been a victim or target of this scam, please contact the proper authorities such as College Police or the California Attorney General's Office at 800-952-5225.

IRS Scam: IRS impersonators are calling people and demanding a "Federal Student Tax". They use threats to intimidate and bully people into paying a tax bill. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver’s license of their victim if they don’t get the money.

The IRS Will Never:

Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money and you don’t owe taxes, here’s what you should do:

Report it to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting FTC.gov and clicking on “File a Consumer Complaint.” Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

Net Price Calculator

The Net Price Calculator has been updated with 2013-2014 data and is now available to provide you with an estimate of how much it costs to attend San Diego City College and to give you an estimate of how much financial aid you may qualify for. To get started, just click this link, Net Price Calculator.

Gainful Employment

Please click on the this link, Certificate Programs, to view the information for each program at San Diego City College. California State License Information AB2086 requires participating Cal Grant institutions to provide links to the California State agencies that disclose the passage rate for students required to be licensed in order to work. The following programs offered at our school require a state license:

View your current Financial Aid information and status on Reg-e.

Do you want to know what documents you need to submit for financial aid?
Do you want to see what type of financial aid you have been awarded?

You can view your current financial aid status on Reg-e.
Log on at https://studentweb.sdccd.edu/reg-e/ and enter your PIN.
Select "Financial Aid Services" followed by "View Your Financial Aid".
Verify that your personal information is correct and continue. Choose the semester you want to view.
Click the button "View Your Financial Aid" and then click the "City" button.
Save time and get your status immediately. Don’t wait in line, go online today!

FAFSA INFORMATION NOT IN OUR DATABASE

If you have completed and submitted your FAFSA and you have not received any letter or email from our office, we probably are unable to process and download your FAFSA. This may be because:

1. you have not yet filed an admissions application with the San Diego Community College District or
2. you have an admissions application on file but you did not use your Social Security Number and were assigned a number beginning with the letter ‘D’ instead.

Complete the Admissions Application using your personal information as it appears on your Social Security Card. You must provide your Social Security Number in the Admissions Application or our office will not be able to process your FAFSA application.

To update your current admissions application from a 'D' number, please go to the Admissions Office and complete a “Request for Change of Social Security Number, Name, Address” form. You must provide proof of your Social Security Number in order for the Admissions Office to change your ‘D’ Number to your Social Security Number.

Once you have submitted your admissions application, or updated your current admissions application, your FAFSA will be compared to your admissions application. If your Social Security Number matches, your FAFSA will be downloaded and we can begin processing your FAFSA.

The download of your FAFSA may take up to two weeks depending on when you completed or updated your admissions application.

If you have any questions, please contact your campus Financial Aid Office.

FINANCIAL AID POLICY

Financial Aid funds are administered in accordance with a nationally established policy of financial assistance for education. The basis of this policy is the belief that students and their parents have the primary responsibility for meeting educational costs. The amount of the contribution expected from students and their parents is determined by careful analysis of family financial strength taking into consideration net income, number of dependents, allowable expenses, indebtedness, and assets. The U.S. Department of Education, in cooperation with educational agencies, has established procedures which are used in making an evaluation of the amount families can be expected to contribute.